This page contains information on specific filing dates for each election year, how to become a candidate, how to create a political party, campaign finance requirements, state agency contacts involved in the election process, and term limits in Connecticut. Information on running for election as a presidential candidate or for county and municipal offices is not included.

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Primary election candidates had to file their petition or nomination certificate by June 10, 2014.[1][2] Petition candidates had to file by August 6, 2014, and write-in candidates must file by October 21, 2014.[3][4] The deadline to file paperwork to create a new political party is the same as a petition candidate's filing deadline, as new political parties are created by a candidate's designation by petition.[5] These deadlines, in addition to other candidate filing deadlines, can be found in the table below.[6] Campaign finance deadlines are also included in the table below.[7][8]

Legend:Ballot AccessCampaign FinanceElection Date

Dates and Requirements for Candidates in 2014

Deadline

Event Type

Event Description

January 2, 2014

Ballot Access

First day petition candidates can circulate their petitions

January 10, 2014

Campaign Finance

January 10 Filing Report due

April 10, 2014

Campaign Finance

April 10 Filing Report due

April 29, 2014

Ballot Access

First day major party candidates for statewide or federal office can circulate petitions

May 27, 2014

Ballot Access

First day major party candidates for state legislative office can circulate petitions

June 10, 2014

Ballot Access

Filing deadline for political party candidates for the primary election

July 3, 2014

Ballot Access

Last day for a minor party to submit party rules

July 10, 2014

Campaign Finance

July 10 Filing Report due

July 18, 2014

Campaign Finance

Deadline for primary election candidates to file affidavit for Citizens' Election Program

July 24, 2014

Campaign Finance

First Weekly Supplemental Filing Report for the primary election due

July 31, 2014

Campaign Finance

Second Weekly Supplemental Filing Report for the primary election due

August 5, 2014

Campaign Finance

Seventh Day Preceding Primary Filing Report due

August 6, 2014

Ballot Access

Filing deadline for petition candidates and first day write-in candidates can register

August 7, 2014

Campaign Finance

Final Weekly Supplemental Filing Report for the primary election due

August 12, 2014

Election Date

Primary election date

September 3, 2014

Ballot Access

Last day for a minor party to certify a list of candidates for the general election

September 11, 2014

Campaign Finance

30 Days Following Primary Filing Report due

September 25, 2014

Campaign Finance

Deadline for general election candidates to file affidavit for Citizens' Election Program

In some states, a candidate may choose to have a label other than that of an officially recognized party appear alongside his or her name on the ballot. Such labels are called political party designations. A political party designation would be used when a candidate qualifies as an independent, but prefers to use a different label. Connecticut[10]does allow candidates to identify in this way. A total of 25 states allow candidates to use political party designations in non-presidential elections.{{{Reference}}}

The 11 states listed below (and Washington, D.C.) do not provide a process for political organizations to gain qualified status in advance of an election. Instead, in these states, an aspirant party must first field candidates using party designations. If the candidate or candidates win the requisite votes, the organization may then be recognized as an official political party. In these states, a political party can be formed only if the candidate in the general election obtains a specific number of votes. The number of votes required and type of race vary from state to state. Details can be found on the state-specific requirements pages.[11]

Process to establish a political party

Qualifying a minor party

There are three steps to establish a minor party in Connecticut. They are as follows:[10]

The political organization wishing to become a minor party must run a candidate by petition with a party designation. If the candidate receives 1 percent of the votes cast for the office he or she sought, the minor party will be officially recognized for that office and be able to nominate candidates for that office without collecting signatures on a petition for the next election.

The minor party must file a copy of the party rules with the Connecticut Secretary of State. The rules must detail how the minor party will nominate their candidates in the next election and must be filed 60 days before the next election in which they wish to nominate a candidate, as the party rules will not be effective until 60 days after filing. This includes any amendments to the party rules.[12]

The minor party must continue to run candidates for the offices they have already qualified for as they come up for re-election. Failure to do so will result in the loss of minor party status for that office.

For an example of the requirements to be recognized as a minor party, look to the table below.

Convention requirements

In Connecticut, a convention is a meeting of political party delegates held for the purpose of transacting party business, such as nominating candidates to run in a primary election.[14]

Minor party convention requirements

Minor parties may not select delegates to a convention unless their party rules have been submitted to the secretary of state at least 60 days previously.[12]

At least five days before a convention is held to nominate candidates, written notice of the date, time, location and purpose of the convention must be given to the secretary of state. This information must also be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the district of the office or offices for which candidates will be nominated at the convention.[17]

Major party convention requirements

Major party delegates to a state or district convention may be selected by a caucus of enrolled members of the major party or by town committees of the major party. Delegates must be selected no earlier than the 140th day and no later than the 132nd day prior to the date of the primary election.[18][19]

A major party's state or district convention must be held no earlier than the 98th day and no later than the 77th day preceding the primary election.[20]

Process to become a candidate

Major party candidates

If more than one major party candidate is up for the same office, a primary election will be held for that office. If there is only a single candidate nominated for an office, that candidate will advance to the general election without running in the primary election.[2][21][22]

A major party candidate may be nominated to run in the primary election in one of two ways: nomination at a convention or nomination by petition.[2]

By nomination at a convention

To be nominated at a convention, a candidate must receive at least 15 percent of the votes cast by convention delegates for the office sought. After being nominated at a convention, a candidate must file a certificate of nomination with the Connecticut Secretary of State. The certificate must be signed by the candidate, state that the candidate was endorsed by the major party at the convention, and provide the candidate's name as it will appear on the ballot, the candidate's address and the office the candidate seeks. The certificate must also be attested by the chairman, presiding officer or secretary of the convention.[2][23]

By petition

A candidate who has been nominated by convention cannot be nominated by petition. To be nominated by petition, a major party candidate must collect signatures equal to at least 2 percent of the total number of members enrolled in that major party in the state. Petition forms to collect those signatures are provided by the Connecticut Secretary of State beginning on the 105th day preceding the primary election for candidates seeking federal or state executive office. Candidates seeking office in the Connecticut State Legislature can retrieve petition forms beginning on the 77th day preceding the primary election.[2]

Petitions must be filed with the registrar of voters in each town in which the petition was circulated no later than the 63rd day preceding the primary. The registrar of voters must provide a receipt of the petition to the candidate, and the candidate must file a copy of that receipt with the Connecticut Secretary of State. The registrar of voters must then certify the names on the petition and file it with the Connecticut Secretary of State within seven days.[2][24]

Minor party candidates

Figure 1: This is the first page of the Application for Nominating Petition for independent or minor party candidates in Connecticut.

A minor party candidate whose party has not yet attained qualified status must be nominated by petition. A minor party petition candidates affiliates with his or her party on an Application for Reservation of Party Designation and Formation of Party Designation Committee. This form must be filed with the Connecticut Secretary of State. On this application, the candidate must indicate a party in name no more than three words (or, no more than 25 letters) and must provide signatures of 25 registered voters in the state. The candidate must also provide the names of two individuals who will be responsible for filing a Statement of Endorsement qualifying the candidate to run under the party name specified. Candidates for the same minor party for state offices may be included on the same petition, including the office of president. All other offices must have separate petitions for each candidate.[25][26][27]

A minor party candidate whose party has attained qualified status can be nominated without a petition. The presiding officer of the committee or meeting in charge of deciding on nominations is required to certify and file a list of the minor party’s nominees with the Connecticut Secretary of State no later than 62 days prior to the election in which the candidates will be running. The list of nominees must include:[28][29]

the names of the candidates as they will appear on the ballot

the signature of each candidate

the address of each candidate

the title and office sought by each candidate

Petition candidates

An unaffiliated candidate can petition to gain ballot access. To do this, the candidate must first file an application for the petition with the Connecticut Secretary of State. The application must include the name of the candidate and a statement signed by the candidate showing he or she has consented to put his or her name on the petition. The candidate may then circulate the petition. The candidate must collect signatures from registered, eligible voters equal to 1 percent of the votes cast at the most recent election for the office the candidate seeks or 7,500, whichever is less.[25][30][31]

Write-in candidates

A write-in candidate may only run in the general election. To do so, he or she must register with the Connecticut Secretary of State no earlier than 90 days but no later than 14 days before the general election. The registration must include the candidate's name and address, the office sought, and a statement of consent to be a candidate. A write-in candidate cannot designate an affiliation with a political party, and no candidate who was nominated by a major or minor party or by petition may run as a write-in candidate.[33][4]

Petition requirements

In some cases, political parties and/or candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process to gain ballot access. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining to petitions and circulators in Connecticut.

Format requirements

In Connecticut, major party, minor party and independent candidates can petition for ballot access. To do this, petitions must include the following:

Petitions must contain a set of instructions and must indicate where the petition will be circulated, the time, date and place it will be filed and the candidates, offices sought, political party affiliation of the candidates (if applicable) and the election in which they will be running. This information cannot be changed once the petition has been signed. There must also be spaces provided for signatures, printed names, addresses and dates of birth of those who sign the petition.[34][35]

All petitions must include the following printed statement: "Warning: it is a crime to sign this petition in the name of another person without legal authority to do so, and you may not sign this petition if you are not an elector."[34][36]

Each page of a petition must contain signers from the same municipality.[34]

Signers of a petition may withdraw their signature at any time, up to the deadline by which the petition needs to be filed. They may do this by filing a written notice of the withdrawal to the candidates named in the petition and to the Connecticut Secretary of State by registered or certified mail.[37]

Petitions for major party candidates seeking access to the primary election can include as many candidates to state offices as there are nominations to be made.[34]

Circulation requirements

Circulators of petitions must be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old, a resident of Connecticut and cannot be on parole for conviction of a felony.[38][39] Circulators of petitions for political party candidates seeking ballot access in a primary election must be enrolled party members of the same political party as the candidate in a municipality of Connecticut. Each petition page must contain a signed statement of the registrar of voters of that municipality attesting to that circulator's membership. Any candidate proposed on the primary petition may also be a circulator of that petition.[34]

Petitions must include a statement attesting to the eligibility of the circulator and the authenticity of the signatures. This statement must be signed by the circulator in the presence of the town clerk when filing the petition and must include:[34][40][41]

The circulator's address, including the town where the circulator is a resident,

The circulator's date of birth,

That the circulator is a U.S. citizen and not on parole for a felony,

That each person whose name appears on the petition signed in the presence of the circulator, and that the circulator either knew the signers or they satisfactorily identified themselves,

That the candidates' names, offices sought and political party affiliation were all filled in prior to anyone signing the petition.

Campaign finance

The campaign finance reporting process for candidates seeking state office in Connecticut is outlined below. Candidates seeking federal office must file with the Federal Election Commission. Reporting details for federal candidates are not included in this section.

Reporting requirements

All campaign finance reporting documents are filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission. All reporting documents can be filed online through eCRIS, Connecticut's Campaign Reporting Information System, which can be accessed here.

Candidate committees

A candidate is defined as any individual who is seeking election to public office. This includes any individual who has been endorsed by a party, gained access to the ballot through a primary, or solicited or received contributions for campaign purposes.[42]

Within 10 days of becoming a candidate, the candidate must file a Committee Statement to form a candidate committee and designate a campaign treasurer. The candidate must also select a depository institution for the candidate committee's funds. The Committee Statement must be signed by both the candidate and the campaign treasurer (as well as the deputy treasurer if one is appointed). A candidate must form a candidate committee committees unless:[43]

The candidate is one of a slate of candidates whose campaign is funded solely by a party committee or political committee formed for a single election, and expenditures made on behalf of the candidate are reported by that committee.

The candidate finances his or her campaign solely from personal funds and does not solicit or accept contributions. In this case, if the candidate uses more than $1,000 of personal funds for campaign purposes, the candidate will have to file the same financial reports as a campaign treasurer would.

The candidate does not receive or spend more than $1,000 for the campaign.

A candidate required to form a candidate committee must also decide whether or not he or she will participate in the Citizens' Election Program and file either an Affidavit of Intent to Abide by Expenditure Limits and Other Program Requirements (Form CEP 10) or an Affidavit of Intent Not to Abide by Expenditure Limits (Form CEP 11).[8]

Campaign treasurers

A campaign treasurer must be a registered voter in the state of Connecticut. If an individual named as campaign treasurer for a candidate committee has previously had civil penalties or forfeitures assessed against him or her, the individual must pay those penalties. In addition, if the individual has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any felony involving fraud, forgery, larceny, embezzlement or bribery, or any criminal offense under the state election or campaign finance laws, eight years must pass since the conviction or completion of a sentence, whichever is later, before that individual may act as campaign treasurer.[44][45]

The campaign treasurer is responsible for all campaign finances for the candidate committee. No financial obligation can be incurred by the committee without authorization of the campaign treasurer. Within 20 days of receiving a contribution for the candidate committee, the treasurer is required to deposit the contribution in the depository institution named on the Committee Statement.[45][46]

Reporting

an itemized accounting of each contribution the candidate committee received during the reporting period, including the amount of the contribution and the name and address of the contributor

the total amount of anonymous donations received and the denomination of the bills

an itemized accounting of each expenditure made, including the name and address of each payee

an itemized accounting of each expense incurred but not paid

the name and address of all guarantors of loans, or individuals who co-signed loans, for the candidate

the occupation and employer of any individual who contributes more than $100

the spouse and any dependent children of a lobbyist who contributes to the campaign

Reports must cover the time period starting with the first day not covered in a previous report through the last day of the month prior to the month during which the next report is due. In the case of reports required by the seventh day preceding an election, the reports must cover the time up until seven days immediately preceding the deadline to file. Reports are filed:[47]

January 10, April 10, July 10 and October 10, unless those days fall on weekends or holidays; in that case, reports are due on the next business day

the seventh day before an election in which the candidate is running

30 days after a primary election, if the candidate ran in the primary, and 45 days after the general election

Candidate committees are not required to file reports until the committee receives or spends more than $1,000 for the campaign.[47]

After the election

If a candidate committee shows no surplus or deficit on the last required report, that will be the last report required from the campaign treasurer.[47]

If a campaign committee has surplus funds after an election, these funds must be expended within 90 days of the candidate's defeat in the primary or by January 31 of the next year after the general election. Funds can be expended in the following ways:[47]

If the candidate did not participate in the Citizens' Election Program, surplus funds may be donated to the Citizens' Election Fund or to a tax exempt charitable organization.

If the candidate did participate in the Citizens' Election Program, surplus funds must be returned to the Citizens' Election Fund.

If the candidate was successfully elected to public office, the surplus funds can be used to pay for the cost of clerical, secretarial or other office expenses incurred by the candidate in preparation for taking office.

Within seven days of expending the surplus funds, the campaign treasurer must file a supplemental statement detailing any contributions received since the last report and explaining how all surplus funds were distributed.[47]

If a deficit remains after the election, the campaign treasurer must file a supplemental statement within 90 days after the candidate's defeat in a primary election or by February 7 (or the next business day, if that date falls on a weekend) after a general election detailing the deficit. On the seventh day of each month following, a statement must be filed if the deficit increased or decreased by $500 during the month previous. The campaign treasurer must continue to file these statements until the deficit is eliminated.[47]

Contribution limits

In addition to reporting requirements, candidates and candidate committees must adhere to contribution limits, which are detailed in the table below. These limits apply separately to primary elections and general elections.[48][49]

Individuals under the age of 18 cannot make contributions in excess of $30.[48]

Business entities are prohibited from making any contributions or expenditures to a candidate's campaign.[50]

Candidate committees cannot make contributions to, or for the benefit of, a party committee, a political committee, a committee for a candidate for federal or out-of-state office, a national committee or another candidate committee.[51]

Candidate committees cannot accept contributions from any national committee or from a committee of a candidate for federal or out-of-state office.[51]

Citizens' Election Program

The Citizens' Election Program is a voluntary program that gives public financing to qualified candidates for statewide or state legislative office. It is funded by the Citizens' Election Fund. To participate in the Citizens' Election Program, candidates must agree to abide by certain requirements, including strict contribution and expenditure limits and mandatory financial disclosures.[8]

A candidate may apply for the Citizens' Election Program as early as the third week in May by filing the Affidavit of Intent to Abide by Expenditure Limits and Other Program Requirements (SEEC Form CEP 10). On this form, the candidate must indicate his or her party affiliation (if applicable). If that affiliation changes in any way after filing the affidavit, the candidate will no longer be eligible for a grant through the Citizens' Election Program.[8]

To qualify for public financing, a candidate must show that he or she has adequate public support. The candidate shows this by raising qualifying contributions made up of small monetary donations between $5 and $100 from individuals. In-kind donations, personal funds of the candidate and loans cannot be counted as qualifying contributions. The total amount of qualifying contributions needed to demonstrate public support varies according to the office sought. See the table below for details.[8]

Participating candidates must file supplemental reports in the weeks leading up to an election. Three are required before the primary election, and two are required before the general election. Public funds given to participating candidates may not be used for:[8]

the personal use of any candidate or individual

payments to the candidate or candidate’s family members or the businesses of the participating candidate

contributions, loans or expenditures to other candidates or committees

Municipal offices

Party candidates who wish to petition onto the primary election ballot must file their petitions with the registrar of voters in the towns where the petition was circulatred. Individual town contact information can be found in the table below. If an email address is not provided in the table, it is because one does not exist for this municipality. To provide a link or information in the table below, please email us.